Dallas Cowboys Team History

The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most successful franchises in NFL history, having appeared in eight Super Bowls and have won five of these championship games.

The Cowboys joined the NFL as a 1960 expansion team. The Cowboys national following might best be represented by its NFL record of consecutive home sell-outs.

Tom Landry, one of the most successful coaches in professional football history, led the club to two Super Bowl victories during the 1970s, with teams starring safety Mel Renfro and quarterback Roger Staubach. Under head coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, the team won three Super Bowls during the 1990s, with lineups featuring quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith. The Cowboys joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960. During its first season, the team failed to win a single game. In 1965, under Landry, the Cowboys earned their first of nine consecutive trips to the playoffs.

In 2009 The Cowboys moved into their new 80,000 seat stadium "Cowboy Stadium" which cost a recored 1.3 Billion dollars to construct.At the time it had the world's largest column-free interior and the fourth largest high definition video screen, which hangs from 20-yard line to 20-yard line

Dallas Cowboys Chronological History

1966

The Cowboys win the championship.

1967

The Cowboys win another championship.

1971

The Cowboys compete in their first Super Bowl but fall to the Baltimore Colts after a field goal in the last minute of play.

1972

The Cowboys cinch their first Super Bowl win after defeating the Miami Dolphins 24-3.

1976

The Cowboys lose the Super Bowl to the Steelers.

1978

The Cowboys win the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos.

1979

In one of the most thrilling Super Bowls of all time, the Cowboys fall to the Steelers 35-31 after recovering from 35-17 in mere minutes.

1980

Danny White became the Cowboys' starting quarterback in 1980 after quarterback Roger Staubach retired. White led the Cowboys to the playoffs five times and won two Division Championships

1987

During the Savings and Loan crisis, the team and Mr. Bright's Savings and Loan were taken over by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation.

1989

The FSLIC forced Mr. Bright to sell the Cowboys to Jerry Jones on February 25, 1989.

1991

The Cowboys replaced offensive coordinator Dave Shula with Norv Turner. Dallas defeated the Bears for the Cowboys' first playoff win since 1982

1992

The Dallas Cowboys set a team record for regular season wins with a 13-3 mark

1993

After a massive team re-building process, the Cowboys defeat the Buffalo Bills 52-17 in the Super Bowl, during which they forced a record nine turnovers. Johnson became the first coach to claim a national championship in college football and a Super Bowl victory in professional football.

1998

Cowboys Extend NFL-Record with 25th Playoff Appearance - The Cowboys extended their NFL Record for postseason appearances to 25 with a 20-7 loss to Arizona in a NFC Wild Card Playoff Game at Texas Stadium on Jan. 2, 1999.

1994

The Cowboys defeat the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl for the 2nd consecutive year.

1996

The Cowboys defeat the Steelers 27-17 in the Super Bowl.

1999

Team of the 90's - The Cowboys close the century as the NFL's most successful team in the decade of the 1990s. From 1990 to 1999, Dallas qualified for the playoffs eight times, won six division titles, made four trips to the conference championship game and won three Super Bowls.

2000

Defensive coordinator Dave Campo was promoted to head coach, but he could only post three consecutive 5-11 seasons.

2002

On second-and-seven from the Dallas 30-yard line with 9:28 remaining in the fourth quarter against Seattle at Texas Stadium on Oct. 27, Emmitt Smith burst up the middle on an 11-yard run to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher. With that carry, he moved past Walter Payton's mark of 16,726 career rushing yards. Smith finished the day with 109 yards on 24 carries. By season's end, he had extended the record to 17,162 career rushing yards.

2003

Jones was able to lure Bill Parcells out of retirement to coach the Cowboys. The Cowboys became the surprise team of the 2003 season, posting a 10-6 record and a playoff berth by having the best overall defense in the NFL.

2007

Parcells retired and was succeeded by Wade Phillips. In his first season as head coach, Phillips and his coaching staff led the franchise to its best seasonal start ever, a conference-best 13-3 record, and the franchise's 16th NFC East championship title, the most of any team in that division. The season came to a disappointing end as the Cowboys lost toe the eventual Superbowl Champion New York Giants in the divisional round.

2009

The Cowboys moved into their new 80,000 seat stadium "Cowboy Stadium" which cost a recored 1.3 Billion dollars to construct

2010

After starting the season at 1-7, Phillips was fired as head coach and was replaced by offensive coordinator Jason Garrett as the interim head coach. The Cowboys finished off a horible season 6-10.

2013

The NFL issued a new helmet rule stating that players will no longer be allowed to use alternate-colored helmets for throwback uniforms. This caused the Cowboys' white 1960s throwback helmets to become non-compliant.

Dallas Cowboys Franchise Information

Franchise Granted: 1960

First Season: 1960

Franchise History:

1960 - Present Dallas Cowboys (NFL)

In the initial months following its formation, the Dallas team was known as the "Steers." After a few weeks, however, the name was changed to "Rangers." At the same time, a baseball team operated in Dallas under that name, but was scheduled to fold before the 1960 football season. However, when the baseball team decided to play one more season, Clint Murchison Jr. and Bedford Wynne, two owners of the new NFL team, selected the name of Cowboys to avoid confusion.